Fuel-feeding device



W. L. BICKLE.-

FUEL FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28.192!- 1,436,568. P nt Nov- 21,1922".

3 SHEETSSHEET I. 1.

| I I I e 10 O D D f 12 a M Afar]? W. L. BICKLE.

FUEL FEEDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1921.

1,436,568. Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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- FUEL FEEDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28. !921.

flaking Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Nova Ell,

Prhlhdhl? FUEL-FEEDING DEVICE.

Application filed November 28, 1921. Serial No. 5183621.

2' '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM L. BionLn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Manhasset, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful ln'iprovements in Fuel-Feeding Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fuel feeding devices such as are employed upon steam locomotive tenders for forcing or feeding fuel to the front thereof and has for an object to provide a novel and advantageous form of control for such feeding mechanism whereby the same may be operated from the locomotive cab for admitting steam to the cylinder of the fuel moving piston to effect forward movement of the same and then return it to its inoperative or normal position.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a multi-way control valve which can be quickly and accurately assembled and perated continuously without leakage of the motive fluid therefrom, means being included in the construction to permit of adjust whereby to compensate for any wear upon the valve proper or the housing therefor.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood by persons skilled in the art, I have in the accompanying illustrative drawings and in the detailed following description based thereon, set out one possible embodiment of the same.

In these drawings Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of the locomotive tender showing the same equipped with myimproved fuel feeding mechanism and control valve therefor;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the tender with a part of the fuel chute broken away to disclose the arrangement of the fuel forcing'piston within the cylinder, such cylinder having a portion thereof broken away and shown in section;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the improved control valve;

Figure l is a horizontal section taken on the line H of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a like view showing the control valve in its second position; and,

Figure 7 is a detail in elevation of the valve stem.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection with which like characters of reference will designate corresponding parts throughout, 1 indicates the tender of a steam locomotive in its entirety, having an inclined wall 2 arranged in its rear portion and adapted to discharge coal upon a secondary or false bottom 3, the bottom proper l of the tender being spaced below the secondary bottom 3 whereby to provide a housing space for the motive fluid conducting pipe of the fuel feeding mechanism which is to be presently describedv Mounted for sliding movement longitudinally of the tender 1 and upon its secondary bottom 3 is a head 5, which as will be noted, is snugly received in an opening formed at the rear portion of the tender and is adapted to be carried in its sliding movement over the secondary bottom 3 by means of oppositely disposed angle strips 6 secured to portions of the opposite side. walls of said tender Fixedly mounted upon a suitable bearing '7 within the housing space provided for by the arrangement of the inclined wall 2 in the rear portion of the tender 1 is a longitudinally disposed cylinder 8 having a piston 9 working therein and carrying a rod 10 connected at its forward end to the intermediate portion of the movable fuel forcing head 5 whereby, with actuation of the piston 9 by the introduction of motive fluid into the opposite ends of said cylinder 8, the head will be caused to move forwardly and then rearwardly, Ports are formed in the opposite ends of the cylinder 8 and are con nected to. the adjacent ends of motive fluid conducting pipes 11 extending longitudinally of the tender 1 through the housing space provided therefor between the secondary bottom 3 and the bottom proper 4, the outer portions of said pipes-being extended upwardly into engagement with the improved control valve whereby the admission of motive fluid to the opposite ends of the cylinder 8n1aybe seleeti ycntr fled, 1

this connection, it is to be noted that the Lip-turned portions of the pipes 11 are arranged in proximity to the forward end of the tender 1 and thus, will be readily accessible from the cab of the locomotive so equipped.

The control valve comprises a base 12 preferably circular and having a bracket 13' formed on one side thereof whereby it may be secured to an adjacent portion of the tender 1 as shown in the Figure 1. Ducts, three in number and indicated by the reference numerals 13, 14 and 15 are formed in the base 12 and are screw threaded at their lower extremities as indicated at 16 whereby to permit of positive connection between said base and the upwardly extending ends of the motive fluid conducting pipes 11 and a vertically disposed motive fluid exhaust pipe 17. A circular seat is formed in the upper face of the base 12 and snugly receives there in the flanged lower portion of a valve casing 18, which as will be noted upon reference to the Figure 3, serves to house a rotatable disc valve 19 having ports 20 and 21 formed therein. The port 20 presents what may be more aptly termed as a by-path and affords means for establishing selective communication as between one end of the cylinder 8 and the exhaust conduit 17, whereby steam may be exhausted from the cylinder to permit of movement of the piston 9 in that direction. An intake port 22 is formed in one side of the casing 18 and receives therein the screw threaded upper end of a steam supply pipe 23 extending, of course, from some suitable supply, not shown, upon the locomotive. The admission of steam supply from the pipe 23 to either end ofthe cylinder 8 is controlled by the port 21 and thus, it will be understood that when said port is aligned with either of the ducts 14 or 15, the steam flowing into the upper portion of the valve casing 18 will be permitted to be discharged into the cyl- 'inder, dependent upon the particular duct communicating with the port 21.

lVith a view towards providing means for effecting rotation of the valve 19 whereby to admit steam to either end of the piston 8 and likewise to permit of exhaustion of steam from the opposite end of said cylinder, a vertically disposed rotatable valve stem 2% is mounted concentrically of the top of the casing 18, having a transversely disposed tapered or wedge shaped key 25 arranged upon its lower end, while an enlarged circular bearing element 26 is formed upon the adjacent portion of said stem as shown in the Figure 3, and has bearing in a seat 27 formed in the inner face of the cas ing top and provided with suitable packing 28for an obvious purpose. This key 25 is snugly received in a correspondingly formed socket provided by the forming of spaced arms 29 upon the upper side of the rotatable valve 19; a coiled spring 30 being arranged in the lower portion of the wedge shaped socket and having bearing, at its upper end, upon the intermediate portion of the key 25, whereby to normally force the same upwardly so that the circular bearing 26 will be at all times maintained in positive engagement with the packing 28 provided in the seat 27 therefor, thus, positively closing the top or upper portion of the valve casing 18 and thereby preventing leakage of steam from the same in that direction. A slidable packing gland 31 is arranged in a circular seat formed in the top of the casing 18 about the upper portion of the rotatable valve stem 24; and engages suitable packing 32 at its lower end, the flanged upper end of said gland being engaged by an adjustingnut 33 having screw threaded engagement with the peripheral surface of said last mentioned hearing.

A handle 34: is engaged with the squared upper portion 35 of the valve stem 24: which, as will be noted, carries a laterally extending finger 36 upon one side thereof adapted for engagement in a groove 37 formed in one side wall of the opening in the handle 3%; the upper extremity of the valve stem being externally screw threaded as at 38 and adapted to receive a cap nut 39 thereover, whereby to lock the handle 34 in engagement with the squared portion 35 of the stem.

To connect the casing 18 to the base 12 of the control valve mechanism, bolts e0 may be and preferably are employed, the same passing through aligned openings in said base and the lower flanged portion of the casing as clearly shown in the Figure In operation of my improved fuel feedingcontrol means, the valve handle 34 is rotated to a position whereat the port 21 in the valve 19 will align with either the duct 1a or the duct 15, thus admitting steam supplied by the pipe 23 to either end of the cylinder 8 as may be desired. Should the port 21 be aligned with the duct 14, it will be understood that the by-path 20 will have been moved to a position whereat it establishes communication between the remaining duct 15 and the duct 13, thus permitting the ex haust of steam from the opposite portion of the cylinder 18 by way of its respective fuel feeding or exhausting pipe 11 and the exhaust pipe 17 With admission of steam to the rear portion of the cylinder 8, expansion of the same therein will cause forward movement of the piston 9 and by consequence, will effect corresponding movement of the fuel forcing head 5 thereby moving said head over the secondary bottom 3 and feeding the fuel within the tender 1 to the for ward end of the same in order that it may be readily removed. With movement of the fuel feeding head to its full forward position, the valve handle 34; is now shifted so that the port 21 is aligned with the duct 15, whereas the duct 1a is connected through the medium of the by-path 20 with the duct 13, thus permitting of the exhaustion of steam from the first mentioned portion of the cylinder 8 so that with passage of steam into the opposite portion thereof by way of the duct 15, the action of such steam upon passing into the opposite portion. of the cylinder 8 will be to return the piston 9 together with the fuel forcing or feeding head 5 to their normal or inoperative position, that is, at the rear end of the tender 1.

By reason of the peculiar mounting of the valve 19 in its housing 18 and the connection ot the rotatable valve stem 24; therewith through the medium of the wedge shaped key 25 which is received between the correspondingly positioned arms 29, it will be understood that while relative rotary movement as between these elements, .namely, the valve 19 and the stem 24:, will be prevented, vertical movement of the stem with relation to said valve will be permit ted. However, the stem 24: with its circular bearing 26 will be at all times maintained in its uppermost position engaging the packing 28 in the seat 27, thereby preventing the escape of motive fluid from the casing in that direction. With continued usage of the control valve, wear upon the base 12, the casing 18 and the rotatable disc valve 19 will occur. Such wear will be automatically compensated for by reason of the spring connection between the stem 24 and the valve 19, the tension of the coiled spring 30 being sufficient to exert a. downward thrust upon the valve and by consequence, effect positive flush engagement of the lower face thereof with the adjacent portion of the base 12. An upward thrust will be imparted to the stem. 2t and by consequence, the circular bearing 26 will be at all times-engaged with the packing 28 in the seat 27.

Manifestly, the construction shown is ca-' pa'ble of considerable modification and such modification as is within the scope of my claims, I consider within the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a locomotive tender, fuel feeding mechanism arranged in the bottom thereof adapted to feed fuel forwardly therein, valve means positioned adjacent the forwardend ofsaid tender in proximity to the locomotive cab and operable from the latter, said valve means comprising a base having a plurality of ducts therein, a casing secured to said base, a rotatable disc valve within the casing having a by-pass and a port therein, register-able at times with said ducts, a rotatable valve stem mounted within the upper portion of said casing having a wedge shaped key formed on its lower end, arms formed on the upper side ofthe disc valve adapted to snugly receive said wedge shaped key, spring means between said arms having bearing upon the valve and said key for imparting thrusts respectively, thereto and a handle connected to the upper portion of said valve stem.

2. In combination with a locomotive tender, fuel feeding mechanism arranged in the bottom thereof adapted to feed fuel forwardly therein, valve means positioned adj acent the forward end of said tender and in proximity to the locomotive cab, said valve means being operable from the latter and comprisingabasehaving a plurality of ducts therein, a casing detachahly secured to the upper face of said base, a rotatable disc valve within said casing having a by-pass and a port therein adapted to be aligned, at times, with said ducts, arms formed upon the upper side of said valve and positioned to provide a wedge shaped space there-between, a rotatable valve stem mounted in the upper portion of said casing having a circular bearing and a wedge shaped key upon its lower end, said bearing engaging packing within the casing, and the wedge shaped key engaging between said arms, spring means for imparting opposite thrusts to said valve and valve stem and a handle for the valve stem.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set no hand.

y WILLIAM L. BICKLE. 

